First Date
by samwise-skywalker24
Summary: What happens when Kendra goes on her first official date, only not with who everyone would expect.
1. Chapter 1

Kendra couldn't resist smiling as she shut her locker. Waiting behind it was her best friend Lilly.

"What's got you so happy?" She wondered.

"I can't smile without a reason?" Kendra replied, looking a little more serious.

"No. There's got to be a reason for this." Lilly pressed.

"It's nothing. It's just a good day today."

"It's only 8:30 in the morning." Lilly pointed out.

"Which means I need to be heading to class." Kendra swung her backpack on her shoulders. "See you later."

"I'll find out one way or another Kendra Sorenson." Lilly vowed. Kendra waved back at her friend and continued towards her first class.

The truth was she did have a reason to be extra happy today. Tonight was going to be her first official date with Bracken. He had been promising it for months, but somehow something always seemed to come up. This it would be different though, this time it would work out. Kendra took her seat in the classroom and began to daydream about that night.

"Kendra, Raxtus is here." Her mother called from downstairs.

"I'll be right there." Kendra called back. Taking one last glance in the mirror, she took a deep breath. It was just a date. She ran her hands over her dress. She had bought just for the occasion. Nodding at her reflection, Kendra raced out of her room and down the stairs.

Just outside was waiting one of her closest friends, a dragon. He sat a little ways off. Kendra thought Bracken would have come to get her himself, but maybe he was still setting everything up.

"Hey Raxtus!" Kendra greeted him. "Are you my ride for the night?"

"Not exactly." Raxtus said. He shuffled nervously.

"What do you mean?" She was starting to worry now.

"I'm sorry Kendra, but…" Raxtus started to say.

"Something came up." Kendra finished the sentence.

"He really wanted to make it. Just it was important." The dragon explained.

"Of course. Just like the last eleven times." Kendra mumbled.

"Me and you can still go do something." He offered.

"No thanks. I have still have some homework to do."

"Okay. See you around?"

Kendra nodded and made her way back to the house. She heard the familiar flapping of wings as Raxtus took off. As she entered her home, her mother put two and two together and asked if Kendra needed anything. Kendra declined and slowly ascended the stairs to her room. She let her softly curled hair fall in front of her face. She didn't want anybody to see her crying. She heard Seth enter the house and quickly entered her room. She didn't want to deal with his teasing tonight.

Closing her door, Kendra let out a sob.

* * *

The next few days were a blur to Kendra. She felt so hurt and alone. Would she ever get a first date? Needless to say, she was surprised when during her Spanish class, she received a note requesting to meet her at the front of the school at lunch. She had no idea who sent it and what they wanted to see her for, but the way she looked at it, she might as well try. Luckily this was the last class until lunch period.

As soon as the bell rang, Kendra bolted for the door. She wanted to be there as soon as possible. Pushing out the front doors Kendra found the area vacant. Walking down the stairs, still showed no sign of another person. She waited and walked around a bit, but still no one showed up.

Figuring she had been set up, Kendra turned to go back in and enjoy lunch with her friends only to hear her name being called. She looked to see an attractive boy she recognized from several of her classes.

"Wait!" He cried. "Sorry I'm late, but Jeff held me up with some questions."

"It's good Nathan." Kendra said.

"There's something I wanted to ask you." Nathan said stopping beside Kendra.

"Go for it." She invited.

"Well this is just if you already don't have a date, and I know I'm late and you might have other plans…" Nathan began rambling.

"Nathan?" Kendra motioned for him to proceed to the question.

"Would you go to Homecoming with me?" He blurted out.

"What?" She was taken back. "Uh, well, um."

"You already have a date." Nathan concluded. His dark eyes stared at her with concern.

"No. No, of course not." Kendra stopped him.

"Of course not?" He stared at her.

"I mean, I would love to go to Homecoming with you Nathan." She smiled at him.

"Really?" He asked, his voice full of excitement.

"Of course. Who else would I go with?" Kendra was starting to feel excited herself. Bracken wouldn't mind, and besides there was still time for them to have a first date before then.

"Then it's set! I'll pick you up at six!" Nathan said. He gave her a high five before running off to his friends. Kendra practically flew to the lunch room. She couldn't believe what had just happened.


	2. Chapter 2

Kendra woke up to the sound of rain hitting the roof. Sliding her arms out of her sleeping bag, she checked the time on her phone. Just past nine. Yawing, she began scooting out of her bedding. She stayed over at Lilly's and the two had stayed up talking for most of the night.

Kendra heard soft snoring and turned to see Lilly still sound asleep. Smiling, she grabbed her pillow. Crawling closer to her friend, she lifted the pillow above her head before bringing it down on Lilly. Instantly her eyes opened. She tried to sit up but Kendra hit her again.

"What are you doing?" Lilly exclaimed.

"Waking you up. I'm hungry." Kendra explained with a smile.

"Are you kidding me?" Lilly asked.

"I'm starving. Please." Kendra pleaded.

Lilly began worming her way out of her own sleeping bag. "Fine."

The two friends made their way over to the kitchen where the cereal awaited. They talked about their plans for the day and estimated how long it would take to get ready for the dance. Kendra had never felt more excited.

The doorbell rang from downstairs. Lilly and Kendra looked at each other instantly. "Who do you think it is?" Kendra asked somewhat worried. Nathan had said it would be six thirty when he picked her up. It was just before six.

"I don't know. I wouldn't worry though." Lilly comforted her.

Kendra nodded and continued work on her makeup. She was almost finished. She was wearing the new dress she had bought for her and Bracken's first date. At least it was still her first date, though not with who she had planned.

Kendra heard the door open and assumed it one of Lilly's parents. There came a little bit of conversation and the door closed again. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing it hadn't been her date.

"I told you not to worry." Lilly said. "Are you finished yet?"

"Almost. Just give me one more second." Kendra said putting her massacre back in her bag.

"Great! Let's go finish our episode of Doctor Who before Nathan and Jeremy get here." Lilly took off to her bedroom. Laughing, Kendra followed behind.

* * *

"Ready to go Lilly?" Jeremy asked his date. Jeremy was tall and quite muscular. He was the backup quarterback on the football team.

"Let's wait a few more minutes until Nathan gets here so we can pictures." Lilly suggested. Her light blonde was done up fancier than ever, but looked stunning once again.

"But not too much longer." Jeremy said.

"I'm sure he won't be long." Lilly replied. Kendra hoped that was true. She felt butterflies in her stomach and really hoped her date showed up.

"But, if he is, then we kind of need to go." He argued. Lilly looked at him angrily. She opened her mouth to reply, but a knock on the door cut her off. Kendra felt relief flood her as Lilly's little sister opened the door. Nathan stood awkwardly.

"Ready Kendra?" He asked shyly. He was dressed in a nice suit which made his light brown eyes look even more handsome.

"Yeah. We just need a few pictures with Lilly and Jeremy." Kendra explained. The pictures were quick and soon the couples were on their way. Nathan wasn't quite old enough to drive, which meant his older brother would be their chauffeur for the night.

As Kendra got in the backseat beside Nathan, she was introduced to him. He looked a lot older than Nathan, about the same age as Warren. She waved and thanked him for driving. He smiled and told her it was no problem.

Once the car started up, conversation died down. Kendra had no clue what to talk about with Nathan. They had been texting and talking at school so she knew all about the classes he was taking and the sports he enjoyed. He enjoyed playing soccer and his favorite class was his writing class. She almost asked about his last project, but every time she did, he would get shy and change the subject.

Kendra made a few attempts to start the talking, but it always fell apart. Nathan tried too, but it also died off. It made the trip kind of awkward. All Kendra could do was hope the rest of the date wouldn't be as bad.


	3. Chapter 3

"First stop, Pete's Pizzeria." Nathan's brother proclaimed.

"Thanks for the lift Steve." Nathan said opening the car door. Kendra followed him out. She had been a few times before, but she had never seen it so busy.

Together she and Nathan entered the small pizza shop. Inside were couples of every kind. Apparently this was a popular dinner stop before Homecoming. They found an empty table in a back corner.

"Is here okay?" Nathan asked her.

"Sure. We probably won't find any better." Kendra said taking a seat. Nathan rushed over to her trying to push it for her. He failed and nearly tipped the table.

"S-sorry." He stuttered. He looked down and walked back over to his seat.

"It's fine. I'm super clumsy too." Kendra comforted him.

"A girl like you?" Nathan said looking up in surprise.

"Of course a girl like me. Why wouldn't a girl like me be clumsy?" Kendra asked.

"Well, I mean, you know." Nathan sat down shyly.

Kendra raised her eyebrows at him and signaled for him to continue. He sighed. "You're so pretty and smart. I doubt you could be as clumsy as a guy like me."

"Nathan, I happen to think you're very cute and plenty smart." Kendra told him, somewhat taken back by what he had said.

"I'm glad someone thinks that. Every other girl I dated is always telling me how silly I am or how quiet I am."

"Being quiet isn't a bad thing."

"I know. It just makes things like this a lot harder."

"Well I think you're doing a good job so far." Kendra said.

"You think so?" Nathan asked sounding hopeful.

"I know so." Kendra said. "Let's order some food. I'm starving."

"That I can do." He said smiling.

Kendra felt her side starting to hurt from laughing so much. Nathan had cracked yet another joke while they waited for his brother to come pick them up.

"That's gotta be the best one yet." She said to him.

"Just wait until we get to the dance." Nathan grinned.

"Oh no." Kendra replied with a smile. The date was going much smoother now.

"Oh yes." He replied. "That looks like Steve pulling in." He grabbed her hand and began leading her towards the car which had just turned into the parking lot.

The car stopped beside them and Nathan held the door open for Kendra. She slid in and Nathan came in after.

"How was dinner?" Steve asked from up front.

"It was great!" Kendra told him.

"Good. Ready to get your dancing on?"

"Of course. Put we won't have any time if you don't start moving." Nathan said.

"Okay. Okay." Steve faced forward and pressed on the gas. The drive was short to the high school and soon Kendra found herself just outside the gym. In was dark with multiple colored lights shooting out. Nathan stood beside her.

"Ready?" He asked.

Kendra nodded. Nathan reached out his hand and she took it in her's. They entered the dance together. They had barely made it seven steps before a loud voice shouted out, "Kendra!"

Kendra turned and saw Lilly running towards her with Jeremy in tow. "Hey Lilly."

"It's about time you two showed up. How long could it take to eat dinner?" Lilly stopped beside them.

"We're only ten minutes late and the pizza place was insanely busy." Kendra said.

"Sure. Excuses, excuses. But why are we wasting time talking? Let's get to the dance floor." Before either Kendra or Nathan could say anything, Lilly was pushing them towards the center of the room.

Nathan turned out to be a far better dancer than Kendra would have predicted. He had more moves than she could even try and name. Kendra tried to stick to the simple moves she knew, but Nathan wouldn't let her. He was always right beside her teaching how to do some of his favorites. It was hard to learn since while he was teaching her, he was always making jokes. She ended up laughing more then anything.

After about twenty minutes of fast songs, a slow song was played. Instantly the crowded dance floor thinned out as people searched for partners. Kendra looked at Nathan unsure what to do. Without a pause he grabbed her and pulled into position for a simple slow dance.

"How are you enjoying the dance?" He asked as they slowly turned.

"It's great. Though you're a better dancer than me." Kendra smiled.

"That's okay. I can help you learn more later." Nathan said. Kendra looked down realizing he wanted to spend more time with her. The thing was, she wanted to spend more time with him.

"I would like that. I would like that a lot." She said. She would worry about Bracken later. He was probably still too busy to worry about her.

"Maybe next weekend." Nathan suggested.

Kendra sighed. She had a meeting with the Knights. "I have something going on. We could hang out during the week though."

"Yeah. That would work. I have a few meetings for the club I'm in, but aside from that I'm free." He said.

"Great." She said.

"Yeah." Nathan said. They remained in silence as the song played out. Kendra hadn't slowed danced a lot before, and it turned out she really enjoyed it. The rest of the night continued filled with dancing and laughter. Lilly and Jeremy would come over and talk sometimes, but often they were off dancing someplace else.

As the last song of the night came on, Nathan pulled Kendra into position. They didn't talk this time. They just enjoyed the moment. As the last few notes sounded, Nathan looked at her and her at him. Before she knew it, her lips met his. She paused for a moment, but quickly pulled away.

"Sorry." Nathan whispered.

"It's my fault." Kendra said. She had someone already. She couldn't do this. "Can we go home now?"

"Yeah. Of course." He said. He pulled his phone out and texted for a ride. There wasn't much talking as they drove back to Lilly's house.

* * *

Kendra jumped out of the car with her bag in hand. It felt good to be back at Fablehaven. Warren exited on the other side. She had told him everything about Homecoming. Even the kiss. When she asked what she should, his only advice had been to be honest. She wondered if not being honest was why he and Vanessa had broken up after less than a month.

She still felt nervous about talking to Bracken. At least she wouldn't have to worry about it for a few days. Well, that's what she had thought. Until she saw him standing in the front yard with his arms crossed.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're not angry, are you Bracken?" Kendra asked with concern.

"I could never be angry with you. And I completely understand why this Nathen kid would ask you out. I mean you're beautiful, smart, and funny." Bracken told her. "I might be a little jealous though."

"Don't be. Nathen's nice, but he's definitely not you." Kendra said.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I have to be going. See you tomorrow." He said standing up.

"See you." She said watching him walk into the trees. She looked down at the box in her hands. Inside was a gorgeous necklace. Bracken had gotten it as a surprise present along with the surprise date he had planned for the night before. Unfortunately, Kendra had been at homecoming.

"Now that wasn't too bad, was it?" Warren came from inside the house.

"I guess not, but I wish I had more time to prepare."

"I don't see why. It's not like this caused a huge problem or anything. I mean it was your first homecoming. He couldn't have expected you to stay home." He sat down next to her.

"He's a unicorn who's been in prison for centuries Warren. He doesn't really understand anything about high school."

"Well then this is a good learning experience for him." He pointed out.

Kendra nodded. "Yeah."

"Now how about you come inside and we raid the ice cream from the freezer?"

"You know just how to cheer me up." She said with a smile. He helped her up and together they went in for a late night snack.

Her phone went off just as she falling asleep. Bleary eyed, Kendra picked it up and blinked in the screen's bright light. It was a text. From Nathen. Gathering her courage, she opened it to find a sweet goodnight message. Kendra sighed. What was she going to tell him? Sorry but I already have a boyfriend. He's the son of the fairy queen and centuries old. Did I mention he was a unicorn? Rolling over she shut her eyes deciding to worry about it the morning.

School dragged on for ages the next morning. She didn't ever get the chance to talk with Nathen, but she had finally decided to as Lilly would put it "friend-zone him." It was for the best. She had other problems to deal with then trying to decide between which boy she wanted to date. The only problem was that she wanted to tell Nathen in person, face to face. Texting just seemed low after all the kind things he had done.

The final bell rang and Kendra rushed to her locker where hopefully Nathen would meet her. Relief flooded through her when she saw him coming.

"Hey Kendra." He said.

"Hey Nathen." She replied. Silence then fell upon them and they both looked down at the ground.

"Um, look, about the dance. I'm sorry if I overstepped or anything."

"Oh, it's fine. I actually wanted to talk to you about something else." She said quickly.

"Oh. Ok." He looked at her.

"Nathen, you're really nice and I really like you, but I think it might be better if we stayed friends."

He nodded. "Works for me."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Great. Talk to you later then?"

"You can count on it." Nathen smiled.

She smiled and headed out to where Warren was waiting to take her home. Then she could get ready for her date with Bracken. It seemed that things were going to turn out alright after all.


	5. Chapter 5

Colorful dots flew above the couple. The stars glittered farther up and a slight breeze rustled the trees. The full moon poured its light down upon them making it a perfect first official date.

"This wonderful Bracken." Kendra sighed.

"I'm glad you like it." He replied smiling. He looked handsome in the moonlight.

"And thanks for not being upset over the homecoming fiasco. I still feel really bad." she admitted.

Bracken turned to look at her. "Why? I told you I wasn't angry. And well I've been thinking…" His voice trailed off.

"Thinking about what?" Kendra asked, her mind instantly going to the worst case scenario.

"I talked to Vanessa and Warren and Tanu and even Stan and Ruth about it." He told her.

"What did they say?" Kendra sounded concerned. The fairies had stopped flying and all remained still waiting for his answer.

"That you're in high school now and you're pretty and so guys are going to be asking you out and, well, it might look a little strange if you kept saying no."

"No they won't. Plenty of girls say no." She began.

"I'm not breaking up with you." Bracken cut her off. "I just think that maybe we shouldn't go official or anything. As your grandma put it, you only go through high school once. You should get to go to prom and on dates. It's not fair for me to make you miss out on all that."

"But Bracken…" Kendra stared at him, her eyes full of tears. Her heart felt like it was slowly dying.

"We'll still see each and go on dates. Just not exclusively. Promise me you'll go out if a boy asks you."

She nodded. "I promise."

"Great. Now I think it's time we got back." Bracken said. He stood up before helping her to her feet. They held hands on the walk back to the old manor, though something felt different.

That night Kendra couldn't help thinking over and over what had happened. If only she hadn't rushed into that date with Nathan. Then everything would be fine between her Bracken. She sighed. Would that have really made her happy though? She shook the thought away. Of course Bracken would have made her happy. He was a perfect boyfriend. Except that he was always busy. But what else could she expect from the prince of the Fairy Kingdom? Kendra shut her eyes hoping that some sleep might make everything better.


	6. Chapter 6

"Kendra!" Lilly called out. "Wait for me!" Kendra stopped her in tracks and watched her friend rush to catch up.

"Sorry Lilly. I guess I'm kind of in a hurry today." She apologized as Lilly fell into step next to her.

"It's good. I mean I would be too if I had a date with one of the popular seniors." She winked.

Kendra rolled her eyes. "Here we go again. It's not even until tomorrow."

"But you are excited." Lilly said.

"Yeah." Kendra hesitated. "But I still don't want to hear about it every second of every day. I have other things to worry about as well."

"So you're worried about it?" Lilly inferred.

"No!" Kendra protested.

"You so are Kendra Sorenson!" She replied. Kendra felt her face starting to heat up.

"I am not." She continued to lie.

Lilly winked again. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." She bolted off to class before Kendra could reply.

Kendra wandered down the hallway towards her locker. There was a text book she needed to get. She retrieved it and had just closed her locker when a voice came from behind her.

"What's this I hear about you going out with Ryan Rogers?" Nathan asked.

Kendra jumped. "Geez Nathan. Give me some warning next time."

"Sorry. I could resist." He grinned.

Kendra laughed. "I guess I am pretty jumpy."

"Is it because you're so worried about that date?" He asked.

"What do you mean? If Lilly told you anything…" She began.

Nathan cut her off. "No. Just knowing you, you would worry about something like that."

"Oh. Well I might be a little nervous." She said. "But I wouldn't go as far as to say worried."

"Mhmm." He replied skeptically.

"So maybe a lot nervous, but it's because everyone keeps mentioning it." She tried to convince herself.

"Whatever you say Kendra. Now shall we head to class?" He asked holding out his arm.

"We shall." She said putting her arm through. Together they laughed down the hallway and she could feel her worry starting to flow away. She had over twenty-four hours to think about it, and she would much rather hang out with Nathan. Over the past couple months he had become a much closer friend. It was nice to have someone who could understand her, and well, didn't read into everything she did like Lilly. The two friends continued towards class ignoring all the whispers which came as Kendra passed different jealous girls in the hall.


	7. Chapter 7

Kendra took a deep breath and then knocked on the door in front of her. She was terrified of what she was about to do, but it had to be done. She needed advice and there was only one person who could really help her.

"Kendra." Vanessa said a little surprised. "I thought you had a date tonight."

"Yeah. I just got home." She explained.

"Oh. How was it?"

"Good, but I need to talk to you about something." Kendra said. "If that's ok."

Vanessa stood aside. "It's fine. Please come in."

Kendra entered her bedroom full of cages and various creatures. She took a seat on the bed while Vanessa sat on the desk chair.

"So tell me what's up." Vanessa began.

"I-I think I like someone, a lot." Kendra began.

Vanessa stared at her. "And this someone isn't Bracken?"

"No. It's Nathan." She confessed. "But I still like Bracken too. I'm just not sure what to do. I want to tell Bracken, but I'm afraid that would ruin our relationship. And I can't tell Nathan because that would make things awkward. I wish I didn't like him. I wish things were the way they were before I ever went on a first date."

"Kendra." Vanessa said smiling. Kendra looked at her. "This is completely natural. You're a teenager girl. You're going to have feelings for more than just one guy. Besides, Bracken has already backed off so you could have a 'real' high school experience. Now there are limits to what you should do with that freedom, but liking someone is totally part of the experience. If I were you I would sit back and enjoy the ride. You can worry about all that once Bracken's no longer busy with rebuilding the Fairy Kingdom and you're ready for a serious relationship with him. For now just have some fun and relax."

Kendra breathed a sigh of relief. "You think that will work?"

"Trust me." Vanessa said. "Now tell me more about this date you went on."

Smiling, Kendra began to go into all the juicy details putting her worries aside. There would be time for that later, much later.


End file.
